Specific of mechanical alloying of solid-liquid binary system Fe-Ga and effect of different process control agents

Abstract

Mechanical alloying allows obtaining nonequilibrium structures in various systems, often possessing unique properties, including magnetic ones. Considering the unusual structural features of the magnetostrictive Fe-Ga alloy, this approach may be promising for this system. In this work, extensive experimental studies were carried out aimed at studying the features of mechanical alloying of Fe-Ga. The object of the study was the system Fe-20 wt.% Ga in which disordered solid solution α-Fe(Ga) is formed. It was shown that high-intensity milling is an effective tool for mechanical alloying of solid-liquid binary system Fe-Ga, but a serious problem is a low powder recovery, less than 50%. To solve this problem, various process control agents were tested. Their influence on powder recovery, process kinetics, particle size, carbon contamination, and magnetic properties was studied using a large set of techniques such as XRD, SEM, EDS, VSM, LIBS, and others. It has been shown that, based on a combination of factors, the optimal process control agent for this system is ethanol in an amount of 1 wt.%